Make a heart photo page. Cut a piece of copy paper to 3.5" x 5.5". Fold it lengthwise and cut it into the shape of a heart to make a template. On your computer, size a photograph to approximately 3.5"x 5.5". Print it on a sheet of photo paper, place the template over it and trace around it, then cut the photo into the shape of a heart.

Open the Moleskine sketchbook to the first page (the one that says "In case of loss, please return to…"), and use scissors to carefully cut it from the bottom to the top of the page, leaving a \u00bd" "tab" of paper connected to the binding. (Don't discard this cut-out page, you'll need it later.) You may also need to remove the second page, if they're glued together near the binding. Use the double-sided tape to affix the left edge of the back of your heart-shaped photo to the tab, then trim the tab down so it's less noticeable in the spots where the heart is not attached.

Add the book title. Type or handwrite your title (ours was "Top 10 Reasons I Think You're Really Great") on a piece of kraft paper. Measure the size of the Moleskine logo on the inside cover of the sketchbook. Cut out the title you typed/wrote on the kraft paper, making sure the rectangle of paper is large enough to cover the logo, and use the glue stick to glue the rectangle over the logo.

Add photo pages and a "Top 10" list. Choose 10 blank right-hand sketchbook pages to replace with 10 photographs. On your computer, size each photograph to approximately 3.5" x 5.5" and print them on photo paper. Trim the photographs as needed (it's better if they're slightly smaller than the original blank pages), then, using the page you cut out in Step 1 as a guide, take scissors and round the right-side corners of each photo to match the Moleskine pages. Using essentially the same method as in Step 1, with scissors remove each Moleskine page that you want to replace with a photo, leaving a \u00bd" tab near the binding. With double-sided tape, affix the left edge of the back of each photograph to the tab of the page it's replacing. Write or type your "Top 10" entries on kraft paper, cut them into separate rectangles of paper, and tape each one onto the left-hand page opposite each photo.

Include a secret message. Glue a glassine or stationery envelope to a blank page. Write a "secret message" on a scrap of paper or gift tag (we found ours at everyjotandtittle.etsy.com), and place it in the envelope.

Make the custom bellyband. Download and the red "i heart you" PDF bellyband designed by Good Stock (below) and print it on computer paper. Cut out the bellyband and wrap it around the sketchbook so it's positioned in the same way as the purple band that came with the original packaging. This band is intended to slip off when the sketchbook is opened.

When Kim Screen left the corporate world in 2003 to start her own business, she knew exactly whom to look to for inspiration: her family. "My grandfather always told us we came from 'good stock,'" she says—and so, her company name was born. Today Kim, along with her cousin Emma, handcrafts custom heirloom books that tell a story or celebrate a milestone.